Carrollton Recycling Program Means Cleaner, Safer Community

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Last year, Americans trashed over 180 billion tons of recyclable materials like newspapers and aluminum cans. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 66 percent of the materials we trash every day could be recycled, but only 25 percent actually is.

Keep Carroll Beautiful works to educate local residents about the importance of recycling and litter prevention with the goal of maintaining a cleaner, healthier, more beautiful Carroll County, says executive director Jacqueline Dost.

“Our mission is to engage the citizens of Carroll County in taking responsibility for their community environment, and we do that through beautification, education, litter prevention, and recycling,” Dost said.
Most residents of Carroll County can recycle common household items like metal cans, plastic bottles, and paper by placing it in a recycling bin for pickup with their weekly garbage service. Keep Carroll Beautiful also helps with harder-to-recycle products. In 2014, the organization helped residents recycle more than 102,000 pounds of electronics, 2,300 pounds of shoes, 66 gallons of paint, and 500 pounds of alkaline batteries. You can find out about special recycling events at KeepCarrollBeautiful.org or the organization’s Facebook page.

Here’s a list of items that usually can be placed in your recycling bin, along with basic good practices for recycling (check with your waste service provider for specific requirements in your area):

Glass is often prohibited in single-stream recycling bin because of the danger it poses to workers at the recycling center. Other items that should not be placed in the bin are cell phones, electronic equipment, lightbulbs, batteries, aerosol cans, motor oil, toxic materials, construction waste, or any kind of Styrofoam.